Because there are so many needles on the market for beading and jewelry making, it can be difficult to know where to start. For bead stringing, there are three traditional favorites: English beading needles, big eye needles, and twisted needles.

English beading needles are extremely high quality, strong and durable. They come in a regular size (a little over 2") and "sharp" (about half the regular size) and are fairly stiff. They have a tiny eye, however, and can be challenging to thread, which leads us to big eye needles. Big eye needles are two slivers of steel that have been joined at the ends to form a single needle that is mostly one big eye. They are obviously quite easy to thread, and will fit through most beads and medium-to-large pearls. They also can be used with non-traditional string materials, such as wide gauzy ribbons or flat silk ribbon. Twisted needles are made from a piece of flexible wire that has been doubled over and twisted together, with a little loop left in the end where it was doubled over that forms a collapsible eye. They are about 3.5" long and are very flexible and easy to thread.